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Dos Mestizos Boracay

It’s funny how I’ve been to this place maybe 5 times already and I still haven’t written about it. I really should devote more time to writing. Usually I take pictures, enjoy the food and forget about it. But not this year! Now I will write about it! This year, as with the past 4 years, our Easter Dinner was in Dos Mestizos! Last year, we opened a special Mas La Plana Magnum vintage, whose bottle still happily sits on the display of Dos Mestizos. This year, having so much outside bora trips, and getting up-close and personal with Binggoy Remedios gave us a better understanding about his food philosophy, fresh, delicious and perfect.

Tapas:

Bacalao – is a salted cod that’s been stewed in olive oil, tomatoes with potatoes. We used to eat this a lot in our ancestral home, way back in the Bro. Andrew days. The fish is pleasantly salty, which goes incredible with the bread!

Callos – the tripe was perfectly cooked, and just like all stews, you knew it was cooked days before and was allowed to sit and mature for optimum deliciousness. The tomato and the tripe’s stock was mature, you could already see a sort of film on top which you can only get when the stew has been aged. Yum!

Chorizo – They make their own chorizos, it’s the best way to go! Unless you want to buy those special ones like “wild boar” and the like, but of course, you wouldn’t find those in the island. This chorizo was most likely hanged for several days, and allowed to mature.

Cold Pulpo or Octopus Salad – Ah, something that reminds me of Spain since you don’t get much of these in the usual Spanish resto. Pulpo is octopus, much like the stuff you see in Japanese restaurants. But the trick to octopus is making it firm not rubbery, for consumption. The salad has a hint of lemon, paprika and some olives, aside from the olive oil.

Boquerones or Marinated Anchovies with Lemon and Garlic – the boquerones is something we usually make here in the school (CACS) during Spanish Tapas day. What makes this dish so special is that you have to properly fillet the tiny anchovies and make sure they are fresh. Then you marinate these in lemon juice, garlic and a little olive oil, salt & pepper and a sprinkling of parsley.

Potato Tortilla – This is an omelette type pie with layers of potatoes. I’ve tasted the very best in Barcelona. This is pretty good too. The only difference with the one and Barcelona and in Dos Mestizos is that the Dos Mestizos version is a little more moist. Like a dry scrambled egg shaped into a small pie. The taste is pretty good, it almost feels like it has a touch of bacon fat…yum!

Fabada – the bean soup with sausages. What makes this delightful is the fact that the sausage is so prominent with the broth and the soup is softened because of the bean. A light helping of olive oil and vinegar was fantastic.

Just like being in a real tapas bar in Spain (minus the chatter of the Spaniards around you), Dos Mestizos hits the spot with the tables, the bar, and even the tableware. His tapas were served in these small terracotta dishes which is what they really use in most traditional bars in Spain (I realized that Spain’s tapas bar chow was something i failed to post…yet again!!!)

Main Course:

Paella Negra, or Squid Ink Paella – I love the way they do Paella negra in this place. We both understand the need to make the fishy taste go away. Although the more “authentic” paella negra would never try to remove the squid ink’s fishiness, in Dos Mestizos, they do, and we appreciate it very much! The ink has been long simmered along with the rice creating a richer taste and creamier (except that it’s black) texture in the rice. The paella was topped with the lovely seafood and you have surprises in the paella in the form of the baby squid… Absolutely fantastic! This is served with their aioli.

Cochinillo, or small roasted pig – ordered in advanced, we had a very small, but succulent pig this year. In Madrid, my grandpops took me to a restaurant called, El Boutin, which is Spain’s oldest cochinillo restaurant. To show you how perfectly cooked the piglet was, they would slice the pig using a plate. The plate would crunch through the perfectly cooked skin, and glide over the soft meat inside. In Dos Mestizos, they don’t do the same ceremony, but you know the pig was cooked perfectly. It didn’t even need sauce! Now this was something even Anthony Bourdain would enjoy.

After dinner, we moved over to the bar to listen to their live band and finished the wine. We talked to their new chef Andrew Malarki, who jumped into the opportunity to live in the island and take care of his uncle’s highly rated restaurant. “Who wouldn’t take this job?” He said with a smile.